Ring of Honor
Date: June 23, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re rapidly approaching Best In The World but at the same time we are well on the way through the Survival Of The Fittest Tournament. It would not surprise me to see those two things cross over, with either the finals taking place at the pay per view or the winner getting their title shot there. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Bandido wants Bateman at his best because this is the first step towards Bandido becoming World Champion.

Bateman says it’s all about how much you want it. He and Bandido are polar opposites but anyone is going down to his elbow. Bateman will walk through anyone to get what he wants.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Bateman vs. Bandido

The rest of the Righteous is here with Bateman….and are ejected before the bell. We don’t get the Code Of Honor but we do get a fight over a lockup to start. A test of a test of strength gets Bandido a pat on the head so he tries a slam, sending Bateman bailing into the corner.

An exchange of shots to the face goes to Bateman and a chop cuts Bandido down again. Bandido gets smart with a running hurricanrana, setting up a dropkick to the floor. Another shot to the face drops Bandido for two though and we take a break. Back with Bateman planting him for tow more and slapping Bandido in the back of the head. Bandido twists the knee down and nails a Shining Wizard for two of his own.

Just to show off, Bandido hits a gorilla press driver into a standing shooting star press for two more. Bateman forearms a springboard out of the air for two more, only to have Bandido grab a crucifix bomb for the same. A rake to the eyes sets up a knee to the back of the head but This Is A Kill is countered with a headscissors. The 21 Plex finishes Bateman at 13:23.

Rating: C+. I’ll say the same thing I saw every time Bandido has a match: he’s really fun to watch and that is the kind of thing that deserves some extra praise. There is something about his style that works so well, and the crazy power display in the middle makes it even better. Good stuff here, with the right one advancing.

Post match, Vincent returns with the rest of the Righteous, to talk about a moment of clarity. Vincent wants the Ring of Honor World Title but Bateman has failed him. It is time for a Righteous rebirth because death is the greatest form of love. The beating is on, with Bateman standing still to take it.

Danhausen has lost every match since Final Battle and that is not good because his money sack is dwindling. Therefore, he needs to be more EVIL in Survival Of The Fittest.

Rhett Titus talks about being in the Survival Of The Fittest before but never being able to win the thing. Now he wants the World Title and Danhausen is standing in his way. He likes Danhausen, but now he will beat him because that is his profession.

We look at Flip Gordon and EC3 cheating to beat the Briscoes last month.

The Briscoes yell at each other over the loss when Papa Briscoe breaks it up. They can fight this out. On their farm.

Dragon Lee, who was never beaten for the TV Title, can’t believe that Tony Deppen is the champion. He’ll just win it back.

Tracy Williams took his eyes off the prize against Tony Deppen so now he is coming back for the title.

Tony Deppen is willing to do whatever it takes to retain the title.

TV Title: Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee vs. Tracy Williams

Deppen is defending, with Lee yelling at both of them and then dropping out to the floor. Lee comes back in to try and steal a pin on Deppen before going outside again. Deppen sends Williams’ arm into the buckle but Lee comes back in again. Williams chops Deppen by mistake to mess up a double team so Deppen gets kicked out to the floor. Lee is sent outside again, this time for a double suplex as we take a break.

Back with Deppen and Williams fighting over who gets to cover Lee. Deppen: “DO I LOOK THAT STUPID???” Williams: “YES YOU DO!” Williams is sent outside and Deppen hits a quick dropkick to Lee. With Deppen outside as well, Lee is back up with the big running flip dive to take both of them down again. Back in again and Lee unloads on both of them in opposite corners.

The running corner dropkick gets two on Deppen with Williams making a save. Williams hammers Lee down in the corner until Deppen knees him in the head. Deppen takes Williams up top but gets caught in the super DDT. Lee drops Williams and everyone is down as we take a break. Back again with a three way slugout from their knees until it’s a three way slugout from their feet.

They trade suplexes, with Williams German suplexing both of them at once. Lee dropkicks Williams to break up a piledriver attempt and everyone is down again. Williams and Lee slug it out with Williams hitting a discus lariat. The referee gets bumped so Lee hits Williams low, allowing Deppen to roll Williams up for the pin to retain at 11:27 (with Lee looking on instead of breaking up the count).

Rating: B-. The ending was a little weird but the action was good throughout. Deppen is working as a beatable champion who wants to prove himself while Williams is the technical guy who can do anything with anyone. Lee is a bit of a wild card and I’m curious to see where some of this goes. I mean, it’s going to continue the faction war because Ring of Honor loves that stuff, but it could be interesting to see how they go there.

Lee applauds a rather confused Deppen. Violence Unlimited comes out to celebrate as the Foundation checks on Williams. Cue La Faccion Ingobernable to laugh (and sing) about the Foundation falling apart. The strategy was to have Williams fall down the ranking, with Lee becoming the new #1 contender. Deppen can defend against Lee at Best In The World, or they’re coming to Deppen’s house and taking the title shot from his wife and kids. Violence Unlimited isn’t happy to end the show. They don’t do anything about it, but they aren’t happy.

Overall Rating: B-. Another easy to watch and entertaining show from Ring of Honor as you can start to see the Best In The World card coming together. That is a very nice thing to see as the company needs something to happen after building these stories up for so long. If their pay per view can be anything like the TV shows then they are going to be fine, as they are in the running for best weekly show at the moment.

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Ring of Honor
Date: May 12, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming off a big moment last week as Tony Deppen won the TV Title in a rather surprising ending. I’m curious to see what they follow it up with, though there is a good chance that it is going to be part of the faction wars that have more or less taken over the promotion. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show as Quinn McKay is making her in-ring debut tonight against Angelina Love.

Flip Gordon/EC3 vs. Briscoes

This is billed as the TV main event as I’m assuming this was taped out of order. Due to reasons of names that sound better on paper than in reality, EC3 is now “The Essential Character.” Before the match, Flip and EC3 don’t want to team together and the Briscoes don’t seem to like them. EC3 actually shakes hands before headlocking Jay down to start. They go with the grappling until EC3 takes him down into a chinlock.

That gets reversed as well and Jay gets in a boot to the face. Mark comes in to start cleaning house and we take a break. Back with Mark and Gordon striking it out until a blind tag lets Jay come in for a big boot. Some shoulders put Gordon down and Mark chokes with the shirt. Gordon manages to take Jay outside for a wheelbarrow suplex into a low superkick. EC3 is not pleased with the whole thing but comes in for a front facelock anyway.

Jay jawbreaks his way to freedom and comes up striking as we take a break. Back with Gordon hitting a Falcon Arrow for two on Jay but a clothesline gets him out of trouble. Mark comes back in with the Redneck Kung Fu into an Iconoclasm for two, despite Gordon’s arm being up. Redneck Boogie is broken up as everything breaks down. EC3 double clotheslines them down but gets caught in Redneck Boogie for two with Gordon making the save. A quick chain shot knocks Mark silly though and EC3’s reverse layout DDT finishes Mark at 12:25.

Rating: C. EC3 looked better here, but I still don’t really get the big the big deal. It’s an improvement if he doesn’t do the Control Your Narrative deal, but the in-ring work and talking aren’t quite good enough to get my attention. Just kind of a match that happened here, which isn’t what you expect from the Briscos.

Brian Johnson is sick of not being taken seriously so it’s time for an open challenge. This is rather intense as he talks about how he is going to take out various people, including promising to turn the Octopus into calamari.

Brian Johnson vs. Danhausen

Actually no as Danhausen has already beaten Johnson so he has a gifthausen for Johnson.

Brian Johnson vs. PCO

Danhausen joins commentary and talks about sending PCO a letter to get this match set up. PCO sends him hard into the corner to start and we take an early break. Back with PCO backdropping him over the barricade and beating up the ring announcer. Danhausen: “Certainly not what Danhausen would have done but it is what it is.”

Johnson gets in a cheap shot and hits a top rope clothesline as Danhausen talks about his efforts to get Johnson banned from talking. Johnson hits a top rope splash but it just wakes PCO up. The pop up powerbomb plants Johnson and the PCOsault gets two. As commentary tries to understand the kickout, Johnson hammers away. PCO shrugs it off and grabs the Deathgrip (like a Mandible Claw) for the win at 7:03.

Rating: C. Danhausen continues to be so much fun and it is awesome to see everything that he gets to do out there. Let him have fun and be genuinely different, even if he doesn’t wrestle very often. PCO was a great reveal, as he is as close to a boss fight as you get around here and shut up Johnson as well as anyone else.

Angelina Love talks about being a veteran former champion who can’t believe that the backstage interviewer is having problems with her. Mandy Leon comes up to say they have better things to do so they’re done.

Quinn McKay can’t believe she has this chance. This is her love, after spending eight years in roller derby (well ok then). She has been training for years and is in the business, but now she wants to wrestle. McKay can’t understand why someone with so much success is so bitter because that isn’t how you grow a women’s division. This is McKay’s chance and if she loses….she isn’t sure what is going to happen.

Quinn McKay vs. Angelina Love

Mandy Leon is here with Love and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is on commentary. If McKay wins, she is in the Women’s Title tournament. Love talks trash to start and takes McKay down for some hair tossling. We take a break and come back with Love choking on the ropes so Leon can get in some shots to the face. Some kicks to the head set up Lights Out into the Koji Clutch to have McKay in more trouble.

The rope isn’t reached and the arm drops twice…but Love lets it go as it drops the third time, meaning we keep going. McKay hits a jawbreaker, ducks the Botox Injection (Brogue Kick) and hits a powerslam for two. The Tangerine Dream (Cobra Clutch with a bodyscissors) goes on and Love is almost out, drawing Leon up to the apron. The Botox Injection finishes McKay at 11:29.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was a squash until the ending with McKay not only getting beaten up but then just losing in the end. Yeah there was interference and yeah McKay will almost assuredly wind up in the tournament, but I cannot bring myself to care about Angelina Love, or most of the Ring of Honor women’s division, in 2021. I haven’t seen it work well yet and while McKay is a nice story, I’m not sure if she is enough to carry things that far. The ending didn’t help here either, as it was one sided, then there was a brief flurry, followed by the evil veteran winning. Riveting.

McKay gets a standing ovation from commentary to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was rolling along well enough until the ending, which took all of the steam out of the show. I’m really not sure what the point was in building the main event up so much and then having the rug pulled out, but Ring of Honor has had some troubles sticking the landings before. Not a terrible show until the finish, but I was actually surprised they went with that finish, which is rarely a good sign.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things are in a bit of a shifting phase here as we are done with the 19^th Anniversary Show but I’m not sure if we are going to be seeing the fallout just yet. The taping cycle usually has a few weeks of lag but when everything is being taped in the same place at the same time, I’m not sure if that is going to be necessary. In other words, I have no idea what to expect here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Quinn McKay gives her usual welcome.

We look at the end of Fred Yehi beating Wheeler Yuta to win last week’s Pure Rules gauntlet match.

Yehi is proud of his win and is in the business of breaking people.

Brian Johnson loves wrestling and hates Danhausen. The internet is ready for their third match because it is time to win the trilogy. He has a PhD in wrestling and it is time to take Danhausen to school. Johnson gets rather animated about how serious this is to him and isn’t having Danhausen disrespect him. It is Mecca vs. everyone.

Danhausen talks about how he beat Johnson at Final Battle but then Johnson cheated to beat him. He holds up a sack of money but it’s half empty because Johnson stole the win. Now it is time to do this again in a rubber match, though Danhausen has no idea what it has to do with rubber. No matter, because he’ll beat Brian Johnstone (yes Johnstone).

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Danhausen is slimmed down to 300lbs (or at least he is billed as such) and is now twice as nice/thrice as evil. Johnson drives him into the corner to start and goes to the mat with a headscissors. That’s switched into some knees to Danhausen’s hammerlocked arm, followed by a running shoulder. Danhausen fights up but gets caught in a hot shot, followed by a Tower of London for two. A top rope clothesline stays on Danhausen’s neck and continues the complete dominance.

Some rollups give Danhausen two and a snap German suplex drops Johnson out of the corner. We take a break and come back with Danhausen not being able to hit the Good Night Hausen (GTS). Instead he goes with a slingshot bridging German suplex for two and a backdrop puts Johnson on the floor. A running hurricanrana off the apron drops Johnson again but he throws….something in Danhausen’s eyes.

Not that it matters as the Good Night Hausen connects but the referee gets bumped. That means there is no count on the cover so Johnson takes him down for a slingshot splash. The referee gets up and sees Johnson’s feet on the ropes and breaks up the count so they get back up again. Danhausen drives him into the corner but nearly crushes the referee, allowing Johnson to get in a low blow. Trust The Process finishes Danhausen at 9:23.

Rating: C. Danhausen is a weird case (to put it mildly) as his promos are awesome but he isn’t all that impressive once he actually gets in the ring. He’s completely fine, but when you get that kind of buildup, you need a bit more than what he gives you. Johnson has a lot more of an upside and should have won here though, and it isn’t like Danhausen is the kind of guy who loses a lot by getting pinned. Fine result, though it’s still a little weird seeing Danhausen wrestle.

Post match a limping Johnson says he’d done with the freak and the locker room is on notice. Johnson leaves, but shouts at Mark Briscoe a bit.

Jonathan Gresham is ready for the 500^th episode, where he will defend the Pure Title.

Jay Lethal is Jonathan Gresham’s friend but he is coming for the title in two weeks on the 500^th episode.

LSG wants to be in the TV Title division because that is where greatness comes from in this company. Years ago, he and Eli Isom had a match that was supposed to set them up as the future, but that was a long time ago. Now they are meeting again and Isom isn’t holding him back from climbing the TV Title rankings.

Eli Isom says he isn’t the same guy that LSG remembers. Isom can fly with the best of them and is willing to go through LSG to get where he wants to go. They are both one win away from being in contention for the TV Title and that win is going to him.

Eli Isom vs. LSG

They go to the mat to start and it’s an early standoff. A test of strength doesn’t go anywhere as they wind up on the mat again with LSG getting the better of a hammerlock. Back up and Isom armdrags him into an armbar but LSG sends him outside. LSG wins a chop off on the floor and another back inside, followed by a running forearm to the face for two.

A cravate holds Isom down and a running flip neckbreaker gets two more. Back up and Isom gets caught in a belly to back suplex to set up another cravate to slow things down again. Isom fights up and kicks away, meaning it’s time to slug it out from their knees. A release northern lights suplex sends LSG flying so he bails out to the floor for a breather. That means Isom can hit a springboard moonsault to the floor and then gets two off a bridging suplex back inside. LSG grabs a swinging faceplant to drop Isom and the St. Splosion gets two.

We take another break and come back with Isom catching him on top but getting knocked off again. LSG’s high crossbody connects but Isom rolls through into a Death Valley Driver for two more. Isom knocks him to the apron for a spear through the ropes, meaning it’s another slugout on the floor. The big dive lets Isom beat the count and they unload on each other back inside. Isom slips out of a Gory Stretch and grabs the Promise (a brainbuster) for the pin at 15:15.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that Ring of Honor needs to do: pick someone and push them. I know Isom might not be the next star of the promotion and the main event guy, but he could be a somebody and that is what you can always use. Go with that and give him some wins, because it isn’t like they have anything else to lose at the moment.

Mark Briscoe is ready to face his brother Jay at the 500^th episode.

Jay Briscoe is ready to face his brother Mark at the 500^th episode.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s another stand alone episode and this time had a little bit better focus than last week’s. I liked the Pure Rules gauntlet from last time but giving Isom a long form win is a better way to go. The company still needs a lot of changes but the 500^th episode should be a good event in a few weeks. Ring of Honor is a completely watchable show and one of the easiest shows of the week, which is always a nice place to be.

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Final Battle 2020
Date: December 18, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is the biggest show of the year and this is one of the more uniquely put together pay per views I’ve seen in a long time. The company has only been back for a short while now and a lot of the top stars have snot been around since the relaunch. The card is still pretty full though and maybe they can pull off a good one. Let’s get to it.

Commentary welcomes us to the pre-show and has some bad news: EC3, Kenny King and Bandido have been Coronavirused off the show so some things have to be changed.

Pre-Show: Tony Deppen vs. LSG vs. Josh Woods vs. Dak Draper

One fall to a finish, lucha rules and the winner gets a TV Title match later tonight. Deppen and LSG are thrown outside before the bell so it’s Woods vs. Draper to start things off. The other two get back on the apron as Woods and Draper go to the grappling to start. An exchange of headlocks doesn’t go anywhere so LSG tags himself in to dropkick Draper.

Deppen comes in as well and it’s time to run the ropes with LSG. A dropkick puts LSG down but he sends Deppen outside for a dropkick through the ropes. That means Woods and Draper can come back in to exchange rollups for two each but Draper knocks Deppen into the corner with a shot to the face. A suplex gives Draper two but the Magnum KO is broken up with some elbows to the jaw.

Deppen gets tossed around and Draper gets in some trash talk to Woods to draw him in. That doesn’t even matter this time as Draper muscles Deppen up for an apron superplex and another near fall. The running knee misses though and Deppen gets out to the floor, allowing LSG to come back in and strike away.

A springboard forearm to the face gets two on Draper but Deppen is back in with a springboard Codebreaker to Woods. Draper and LSG go to the corner, only to have Woods come back in for a Tower of Doom. That means Draper and Woods can slug it out until Draper grabs a Doctor Bomb for two. They’re knocked outside though and it’s Deppen jumping back in to roll LSG up for the pin at 11:43.

Rating: C+. This was all about the action and that’s a good way to get things going on a show like this one. It’s exactly the same idea of the cruiserweights back in WCW and it is always going to work here. Deppen winning is a bit of a surprise, but that’s the kind of thing you can get away with in a four way like this. Nice stuff to get us going.

Pre-Show: Foundation vs. Fred Yehi/Wheeler Yuta

It’s the first ever Pure Rules tag match, you have five seconds to get out of the ring after the tag and a save counts as a rope break. If you make a save when you are out of breaks, it’s a DQ. Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus are here for the Foundation. Yehi and Williams go with the grappling to start with Williams wristlocking him into the corner for the tag off to Titus.

Yehi takes him down into the Koji Clutch but the rope is reached in a hurry for the first break. Yuta comes in and Williams pulls him straight into the Texas Cloverleaf, sending Yuta to the ropes to even things up. We get some miscommunication on a tag so Yehi has the chance to come in and German suplex Williams. Titus comes in and gets caught in a Koji Clutch, with Williams making the save, good for the second rope break.

The rapid fire saves are on and we’re down to just Yehi and Yuta having one left. Titus dropkicks Yuta off the top and out to the floor in a big crash. That means Williams and Yehi come in and strike it out, with Yehi having to counter a piledriver attempt. Yehi Downward Spirals him into the Koji Clutch and the ropes aren’t there for a save. Titus can’t save him either so he sends Yuta into the hold for the break in a smart move.

It’s back to Titus vs. Yuta for an exchange of crucifixes for two each until Yuta snaps off a bridging German suplex for two more. Yehi gets in a shot of his own and Yuta’s top rope splash gets another two. The hot tag brings in Williams for a hard clothesline and a Death Valley Driver. Williams stuffs Yuta with a piledriver and Yehi makes the save for the last break. Yuta gets caught in the Crossface, with Williams using the ropes for extra leverage (perfectly legal) for the tap at 13:51.

Rating: C. The rope breaks were a nice touch but that’s about all there was to this. The Pure Rules are a nice idea but they aren’t exactly the most inspiring alternative to everything else going on. Williams and Yehi continue to be fun to watch every time but the other two were just kind of there, which is kind of a problem when they do it almost every week.

Respect is shown post match.

The opening video talks about how everything stopped this year but some wrestlers are picking up the mantle of honor. Tonight they are willing to do whatever it takes on the biggest night of the year.

Tag Team Titles: Mark Briscoe/PCO vs. Foundation

The Foundation (Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham) are defending and PCO is here because Jay Briscoe was moved into another match due to Coronavirus issues, which wound up being changed anyway. We get the Code of Honor and it’s Lethal vs. Briscoe to start things off, with Lethal saying this is wrestling instead of fighting. Mark isn’t having any of this wristlocking and starts chopping away, sending Lethal out to the floor for a breather.

Back in and it’s PCO coming in to say he wants to break Lethal’s arm (again). That’s enough to make Lethal stay so PCO takes him down into a cross armbreaker. A rope break lets Lethal bail out to the floor as the champs can’t get anything going so far. Gresham comes in and tries to go after PCO’s leg, which goes as well as you would expect. PCO tosses him back to the floor and the challengers start cleaning house, including Briscoe’s running cannonball off the apron to drop Lethal.

The champs are rammed into each other and Mark uses a chair as a launchpad for a flip dive over the corner onto everyone else. PCO’s top rope flip dive completely misses Lethal so it’s Mark suplexing Gresham for two. Lethal comes back in for a dropkick/German suplex combination to drop Briscoe and it’s time to stomp him down into the corner. Briscoe pops back up and brings in PCO to clean house.

What looked like a low blow puts Gresham down again and the champs are in trouble. The Froggy Bow hits Lethal’s raised knees as the PCOsault hits clean, allowing Lethal to make the save. PCO and Lethal slug it out until Gresham launches Lethal over for a cutter to hit PCO for two. The champs manage a Doomsday Device on PCO and Gresham’s shooting star press gets a near fall. PCO monsters up but Lethal offers a distraction, allowing Gresham to roll PCO up and retain at 12:50.

Rating: B-. This was a good choice for an opener as PCO and Briscoe are always fun for a watch and the Foundation do feel like one of the best teams around. The Foundation vs. the Briscoes would have been better but there is only so much you can do when the pandemic is changing everything on such a short notice. Good match here though and the right result given the situation.

Commentary explains some of the card changes due to the Coronavirus.

Rey Horus vs. Dalton Castle

Horus was supposed to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles but a change had to be made, with Castle, again with the Boys, stepped in. Castle goes with a fast rollup to start but gets kicked away to give us a standoff. Horus avoids a charge in the corner to put Castle on the floor as frustration sets in early. Back in and Castle takes him down for a quick splash, setting up some forearms to the ribs.

They head outside with Horus managing a kick to the chest, followed by a kick to the chest. Now the big flip dive connects and Castle is in even more trouble. Castle gets sent hard over the barricade and it’s a running kick to the face to give Horus two. A tornado DDT gives Horus two more but Castle catches him on top. Something like a reverse Neutralizer gets two on Horus and there’s a release German suplex for the same. Castle goes up but Horus runs the corner for a super victory roll and the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. Castle’s near downward spiral continues around here as now he’s losing to the lesser known luchadors. The ending certainly took me by surprise, which is a nice thing in this case, as Horus gets a nice rub out of the whole thing. There was some good enough action, but it’s one of those matches that is likely just going to come and go without making much impact.

We recap Matt Taven/Mike Bennett (OGK) vs. the Righteous. Taven and Vincent had been in the Kingdom but Vincent turned on him to strike out on his own. Then Taven went out of action for the better part of a year due to a knee injury. Now they’re both back and it’s time for the two of them to kill each other. Bennett and Bateman are here to make it a tag match.

OGK vs. Righteous

The Righteous has Vita VonStarr in their corner. The brawl is on in a hurry with Bennett saving Taven from a suplex and driving Vincent into the corner. Bateman gets in a cheap shot from behind and we settle down with Bateman driving Taven into the corner. That just earns him an enziguri and it’s a hot tag to Bennett to clean house. Vita tries to come in for a distraction though and Bateman plans Bennett with a Side Effect to take over.

Vincent’s running forearms in the corner have Bennett in more trouble and a spinning Russian legsweep gets two. Bateman comes back in with some shots to the face but it’s too early for Vincent to try Redrum. Instead he slaps on the guillotine choke but Bennett powers out with a suplex. The double tag brings in Taven to clean house on Bateman, including a Russian legsweep into a flipping neckbreaker.

That’s enough of that though as Taven heads outside and unloads on Vincent. A springboard shot to the face puts Bateman down again and Just The Tip connects. The Climax is broken up though and Vincent slingshots in, only to get caught in a backbreaker. Bateman runs Taven over again though and it’s Redrum (Swanton) connecting for two. Bennett makes the save and everyone is down again. Taven and Vincent get into the big brawl that they have been needing to have but they kick each other down.

That’s good for a double tag so Bennett can spear Bateman down. The spike piledriver connects but Taven’s knee gives out again, meaning no cover. Instead Bennett punches Bateman off the top for a crash to the apron. A Death Valley Driver onto the apron drops Bateman again as Taven is back up with a knee to Vincent. The Aurora Borealis (frog splash) hits knees but Taven pulls Vincent into a choke, sending Vincent over to the rope. Bennett is back up though and Vincent is held over the apron for Aurora Borealis to crush him again. Back in and a Backpack Stunner/running boot combination finishes Bateman at 16:20.

Rating: B. This was the first match that felt like something that belonged on the pay per view (save for maybe the opener) as Taven vs. Vincent has become a heck of a feud. Bennett already feels FAR more important here than he ever did in WWE and that’s great for him. Bateman is a good monster enforcer as well and the match worked out rather well. I still can’t get my head around how much better Taven is as a face. It’s nothing I ever would have bet on and this has been working rather well. Good match here, with everyone looking solid.

Post match Vita hits OGK with a double low blow and it’s time to zip tie Taven to the ropes. Vita headscissors Taven to make him watch as Bateman puts a board between Bennett’s feet. A chair shot crushes the ankle in a Misery style destruction.

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

If Danhausen (who apparently debuted September 13, 1993 at 12:37am and weighs “at least” 300lbs despite being rather skinny) wins, he gets a contract. They shake hands and Danhausen kicks him in the face for a very early two. A middle rope hurricanrana gets two on Johnson and Danhausen demands his music be played. That’s what he gets as he hits a running kick off the apron, only to get caught with a hanging cutter back inside.

Johnson isn’t pleased but he grabs a mic and says Caprice Coleman sucks at his job. The trash talk and stomping ensues and Johnson wants to know why the Honor Club Girls aren’t cheering for him. A slam into a fist drop gets two on Danhausen but he takes the mat and drives Johnson into the corner for swearing (a big negative in Danhausen’s eyes). Johnson clotheslines him down again though and it’s time to grab the microphone again.

More shouting ensues as Johnson isn’t happy that he finally made it to Final Battle and is being stuck doing this. A clothesline gets two and Johnson can’t believe it. Danhausen makes the comeback with a running shot in the corner and a German suplex into another German suplex gets two….and let’s grab a jar of teeth. The Goodnight Hausen (GTS) gets two as Johnson gets a hand on the rope.

Johnson bails to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive but Johnson kicks the rope on the way back in. The jar of teeth (just go with it) is poured into Danhausen’s mouth but he grabs a quick rollup for two anyway. The teeth go into the referee’s eyes though, meaning there is no cover off Johnson’s neckbreaker finisher. Rating: C+. I actually liked this as Danhausen is enough of a screwy guy to make you believe that he’s just kind of out there. They didn’t do anything too far here (the teeth are certainly a thing) and Johnson ran his mouth so much that you wanted to see him lose. This was much more about the angle than the wrestling and that’s fine in a match like this, though I could see people not being pleased.

TV Title: Dragon Lee vs. Tony Deppen

Deppen is challenging after winning a four way on the pre-show but comes in holding his neck. Amy Rose, the manager of Lee’s faction, joins commentary. They go to the mat to start with neither being able to get much of an advantage. Deppen grabs an armdrag but gets sent to the floor for the suicide dive. Back in and Lee chops away in the corner as Rose is speaking about 90% Spanish. Deppen manages a step up kick to the head to put Lee on the floor, setting up a suicide flip dive. A springboard missile dropkick gives Deppen two but Lee pounds him right down in the corner.

We hit the chinlock for a bit, with Deppen fighting up and slapping away to take over. Lee is back with the snap German suplex and a moonsault northern lights suplex (geez) which leaves both of them down. They slug it out from their knees with Lee getting the better of things, only to miss a charge in the corner.

Deppen loads up a superplex but gets knocked down for an Alberto double stomp. Back up and Deppen scores with a running knee to the face and the kickout leaves him shocked. Lee blasts him in the face though and his own running knee gets two. That’s enough for Lee, who hits Incineration (another running knee) to retain at 11:50.

Rating: C+. Lee’s offense is fast paced and exciting enough that it is easy to see why Ring of Honor wants to push the heck out of him. Deppen looked good here as well, as he made the most out of the opportunity he was given. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt but they made something out of very little so well done all things considered.

We look at Jay Briscoe and Shane Taylor arguing backstage because their matches with EC3 and Mexisquad were canceled. This was announced earlier in the night and while that’s not a great way to go, like so many other things on this show, what else are they supposed to do?

Jay Briscoe vs. Shane Taylor

The lockup doesn’t go anywhere as they shove each other around with little avail. Shane sends him into the corner and unloads with rights and lefts but Jay is right back with a headlock. Jay tries to run the ropes and is knocked down hard with a shoulder. More rights and lefts set up a big right hand to knock Jay silly, meaning it’s time to head to the floor.

Jay sends him into the barricade and scores with a good superkick before heading back inside. Shane slugs away again but gets caught with a dropkick. One heck of a right handdrops Jay again though and it’s time for a slugout. Jay’s snap jabs set up an impressive Death Valley Driver and here’s Mark Briscoe for support.

Shane is up first but Jay slaps on a choke to put Shane down. Two arm drops have Shane in real trouble but he makes it over to the rope for the break. Jay’s big clothesline gets two and the neckbreaker is good for the same. Shane is back up and hits him in the face, setting up the package piledriver. Welcome To The Land finishes Jay at 13:41.

Rating: B-. This was about hitting each other really hard but also about building Shane up as a main eventer. They had a good power brawl here and beating Jay still means quite a bit in Ring of Honor. They don’t have many people at that level or even close to it so giving Shane a win on a show like this means a lot for his future around here.

We recap Jonathan Gresham defending the Pure Title against Flip Gordon. Gresham is the first holder of the new version of the title and he says there is more to wrestling than flips. Gordon doesn’t love this company as much as he does and it’s time for both guys to prove themselves.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon is challenging. They lock up to start with Ian saying this is like Thunder Road vs. Born To Run. Gresham grabs a hammerlock, which sends Gordon straight to the rope for the first break. With that out of the way, Gresham takes him to the mat to work on the leg, which sends Gordon over to the ropes for a second break in three minutes. Gresham tries a headlock takeover this time before switching to a crucifix.

Back up and Gresham works on the wrist a bit more as Gordon has barely done anything so far. Gresham ties up the arm and twists the foot around at the same time before letting Gordon up. A standing armbar goes on so Gordon drives him into the rope, which counts as the final rope break. Gordon finally scores with a spinning kick to the head to put Gresham down for the first time.

Gresham can’t hit a springboard hurricanrana so Gordon superkicks him down for two, with Gresham using a rope break of his own. Gordon gets knocked away but is fine enough to duck a middle rope crossbody with Gresham banging up his knee on the landing. That gives Gordon a target and the Figure Four goes on, with Gresham breaking it up in a hurry. A dropkick to the leg sets up a half crab but Gresham slips out again. This time Gresham kicks Gordon in the arm and they’re both down for a bit.

Gordon is right back on the leg so Gresham makes the rope for the second time. Another kick to the leg sets up a Falcon Arrow into Submit To Flip (STF) but Gresham elbows his way out. Back up and they slug it out with Gresham kicking him in the arm again. Gordon wins a slugout by going with the closed fist, which is good for his first warning. An enziguri into a German suplex (with Gresham raising the bad leg) gets two on Gordon but he knocks the leg out again and grabs another half crab.

That’s switched into another STF but Gresham crawls to the floor for the break. Back in and Gresham sets him on top for another kick to the arm, setting up a top rope belly to back superplex for another near fall. Gresham hits a running shot to the head for two, followed by a running shot to the head for two. Another one is loaded up but the referee stops it because Gordon can’t defend himself at 24:37.

Rating: B. I’m not wild on Gordon most of the time but he brought it here and they had a heck of a fight. Gresham was losing the technical battle, or at least close to it, and went with the hard shots to the head to win instead. It’s a good story for the match and Gresham didn’t cheat to win after a long match, making this one of the better things the Pure Title has done since it was brought back. Heck of a match here and pay per view worthy.

Post match Gordon declines the handshake and walks away.

We recap Brody King vs. Rush. King has been on a roll since Ring of Honor returned and Rush is finally back after his long hiatus. It isn’t much of a main event, but again you can’t hold that against them here.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Brody King

King is challenging. They go with the striking to start with Rush’s shoulder putting him on a knee. King is back up with a clothesline to the floor and that means the suicide dive. Rush is whipped hard into the barricade twice in a row, meaning it’s time to grab some chairs. King slams him down onto said chairs, which isn’t a DQ because they weren’t used in an offensive manner. There’s a backsplash onto Rush onto the chairs and it’s time to go back inside.

King stomps away in the corner and hits the Cannonball for two, only to have Rush come back with a running knee to the face. They’re right back to the floor with Rush sending him into the barricade and slamming the door in the barricade on King’s head. Rush whips away with an electrical cord and then uses it to choke away. King is down so Rush asks the camera if it missed being in his house.

Back in and King unloads with chops in the corner, only to get taken down for his efforts. The running taunting kick to the face has King in more trouble and there’s a belly to belly to put King into the corner again. King heads up top but Rush catches him with a top rope superplex for two more.

The swinging Boss Man Slam gives King two and it’s time to chop it out again. Rush knocks him into the corner again and tries the Bull’s Horns, only to get cut off by a spear. The Ganso Bomb is loaded up but here is Dragon Lee (Rush’s brother) for a distraction. Bestia del Rey (Rush/Lee’s father) comes in to chair King down, meaning the Bull’s Horns to retain the title at 16:35.

Rating: B. Pretty good brawl here with both guys hitting each other rather hard. The ending seemed designed to set up something for later, though I’m not sure I can imagine Rush keeping the title that much longer due to the immigration issues. King does have a claim to a rematch due to the cheating but I’m not sure if he’ll be first in line. I know this didn’t quite feel like a Final Battle main event, but as has been the case all night, it’s understandable.

Post break La Faccion celebrates but the Foundation comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. All things considered, this is the about all you could have asked for. I know the show was lacking a lot of the way of storyline development, but there was only so much they could have done. It felt more like a collection of matches than a show if that makes sense, though it’s quite the collection of matches for the most part. Nothing is bad, and I liked what we got here for the most part. Ring of Honor works best when they’re just focusing on the wrestling and that’s what they did here in a show that felt like it belonged on the Final Battle stage.

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Ring of Honor
Date: February 3, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m really not sure what to say around here as we keep going from week to week with not all that much really feeling like it changes. We don’t have a show to build towards and while we are probably going to have some good matches, odds are they’re going to come after the same format this show has used for months now. In other words, it’s going to be pretty good but not exactly inspiring. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Joe Keys talks about how hard it has been to get here and how hard he has worked in the Ring of Honor Dojo. Jonathan Gresham was his trainer, but he isn’t the first trainer he had. That trainer passed away and now Keys wishes he could tell his trainer that he’s getting a Pure Title shot. Now he’s going to get the title to get back at Gresham for what Gresham put him through.

Jonathan Gresham talks about how hard Final Battle was and Joe Keys isn’t ready for that. Keys has earned a title shot by winning a match against other Dojo students but now he is stepping up even higher. Tonight, Keys is going to learn that this isn’t the Dojo because he is up against the Foundation.

Now that we have your required two minute promos out of the way because we must have them before almost every match, we’re ready to go.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Joe Keys

Keys is challenging after winning a Dojo match, thereby making the rankings even less important than your run of the mill wrestling rankings. Gresham takes him to the mat with a headscissors to start and Keys can’t do much to power out. Eventually it means the first rope break and they’re back up. A waistlock has Gresham in trouble and Keys powers him over to the ropes, where Keys has to grab said rope to avoid falling. That’s good for a rope break and we take a break to keep pace with both guys.

Back with Keys winning a slugout so Gresham grabs the armdrags to put Keys in trouble again. A quick backbreaker gives Keys a breather, only to have Gresham crank on the arm again. Keys’ German suplex gets two and there’s another backbreaker to put Gresham down again. The Boston crab sends Gresham to the rope for the break, followed by a headbutt for a third and final rope break. Keys wins another slugout and gets two off a clothesline but misses a top rope headbutt. La Majistral gives Gresham two more and he rolls Keys down into a nasty hammerlock for the tap to retain at 12:41.

Rating: C+. Keys looked fine here and the teacher vs. student idea is always going to work. It helps that Keys got to show off a bit here before the only ending the match could have had. At the same time though, I’m not exactly thrilled with seeing Ring of Honor do their best New Japan impression with the Young Lions/students thing, even if they already had characters and personae before they came here.

Matt Taven comes up to Mike Bennett, who is getting his ankle fixed up. Bennett says he’ll be fine and needs this match tonight. Taven doesn’t seem convinced but goes along with it.

Danhausen…is confused about all the lights and cameras around him. He only cares about being rich and famous and wants to know where his blimp is, as he was promised one in his contract. If he swears, he gets thrown off the air and that means he can’t be rich and famous. Danhausen likes to kick people in the face, like Brian Johnson, who yells at internet people. There is no stopping Danhausen because Danhausen is not evil. This was one of those wacky characters but it was the kind that actually worked, which is not something you get to see very often. Not too bad here.

Brian Johnson talks about how he grew up loving wrestling, even if it meant taking your vitamins or drinking a beer. Now he loves real wrestlers and can’t stand someone who lives on his couch and thinks he’s funny. Danhausen is a joke and it took a bad referee to cost him their match at Ring of Honor. Everyone has overlooked him and that isn’t happening again….whenever this match takes place.

The Bouncers are ready to face the OGK (OG Kingdom) tonight. Things have changed since Mike Bennett left though and tonight, they are the first step on the Bouncers’ path to the Tag Team Titles.

Matt Taven and Mike Bennett are ready to get back to what worked, without having to think of Vincent and the Righteous.

OGK vs. Bouncers

Bennett and Milonas start things off and Bennett finds out that he can’t do things as usual against someone this big. The ankle flares up too, including as Milonas doesn’t move off a shoulder block. Taven comes in and loads up the dive but Bruiser stands in front of him for a good visual. We settle down to Taven getting caught in a side slam/dropkick combination. Taven manages an enziguri and brings Bennett back in, only to have Bruiser run him over.

Some double teaming manages to knock Milonas down though and Taven nails a superkick but Bennett’s ankle goes out again. The Bruiser goes after the ankle with some cranking on the mat, followed by Milonas sitting on him in the corner. We take a break and come back with Bennett getting over for the hot tag to Taven to pick up the pace. The Flight of the Conqueror takes out Milonas on the floor and Aurora Borealis hits Bruiser for two back inside.

Bruiser hits a Samoan drop and we cut to a shot of the video screen for some reason. With that out of the way, Milonas hits a Side Effect on Taven but Bennett is back in with a superkick. Bruiser is back up to run Taven over but the frog splash misses. Bennett catches Bruiser with a spear but falls to the floor. That leaves Taven to grab something like a Crossface to make Bruiser tap at 11:56.

Rating: C. I continue to be astounded at how much better Taven is as a face than the heel he was for years. Bennett still isn’t much more than a guy in trunks but he has already been treated as far more important here than he ever was in WWE. If this is what he wants to do then good for him, because there was little point to him being in WWE as far as career advancement went.

Post match the Bouncers are ready for the toast but here is the Righteous with Vincent saying Bruiser has no direction. Bennett was gone for five years and he’s right back like nothing ever changed. Or Milonas, who has been around for 18 years, and has been given nothing. Taven just bought a house but where is anything for the Bouncers? The Righteous leaves and Bruiser breaks a beer bottle over Taven’s head. A twisting DDT plants Bennett and Milonas is shocked to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The ending helped the show a bit but the same problems continue around here: nothing to build towards and stories that move along at such a slow pace that they might as well not even be there. At the same time you have the same longer form promos, which work on some occasions but then there are people who have nothing to say and it shows pretty badly. The show isn’t terrible by any means but it’s often boring, which is a lot worse most of the time. That was slightly better this week, but they have a lot of things to fix.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 5, 2020
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of last week’s Six Man Tag Team Title change.

Quick preview from the hosts.

Joe Hendry and Dalton Castle have a meeting about how to solve their problems. The solution: win more matches. And get Dalton some better soup.

Master and Machine vs. Dalton Castle/Joe Hendry

Hendry takes Master down with an early wristlock but it’s back up so they both miss some kicks to the head. Master’s hurricanrana works well enough but he has to slip out of a fall away slam to send us to a break. Back with Castle vs. Machine with Castle wrestling him down and scoring with a suplex.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Machine has to get out of a Bang A Rang attempt. Master puts him down and belly to back suplexes Master into a moonsault. A double stomp into an elbow gets two on Castle but it’s off to Hendry in a hurry. Hendry’s delayed vertical suplex connects for two and it’s already back to Castle for a chinlock. Make that a chinlock from Hendry, followed by a suplex from Castle.

Master gets in a kick to the head though and it’s Machine coming back in to pick up the pace. Castle and Hendry get beaten up, including a spinebuster to Castle and a spear to Hendry. The Skywalker Elbow gets two on Hendry but he’s right back up with a double fall away slam. Everything breaks down and Master is shoved into a Codebreaker, setting up the reverse Sling Blade for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C+. This worked better than I was expecting as Master and Machine (not Master and Commander as I keep wanting to put) are a rather nice treat that I wasn’t expecting. Castle and Hendry are getting better but it took so long to get there that it doesn’t feel like it’s worth the time.

Video on Brian Johnson not wanting to listen to PJ Black but agreeing to team with him anyway.

Mark Haskins wants to go after the World Title but Tracy Williams doesn’t seem convinced.

Come to these shows!

Rhett Titus vs. Danhausen

Danhausen dances to start and gets taken down into an armbar for his efforts. Titus shrugs off a chokeslam attempt but he makes the mistake of swearing, which is NOT ok with Danhausen! I could go with this guy! He holds up a swear/teeth jar to Titus as we take a break. Back with a running dropkick putting Titus on the floor but a slingshot dive is countered into a northern lights suplex for two.

Titus hits a running boot in the corner and shouts about Kenny King, setting up a reverse over the shoulder backbreaker. A splash misses in the corner though and Danhausen hits a slingshot German suplex. That means he can pour the teeth on Titus’ face so Titus is right back with a dropkick (Ian: “Only Okada gets higher!” Yeah we’ve got the second best dropkick around! If you want to see the best, go watch that other show!”) for the pin at 7:39.

Dan Maff/Jeff Cobb vs. Briscoes vs. Lifeblood

The Bouncers are on commentary and we actually get some handshakes before the bell. Haskins kicks at Cobb’s legs to start before going with the tried and true jump on his back method. That goes as far as you would expect and we take a break. Back with Mark Briscoe slugging away at Cobb before handing it off to Williams for the same. Haskins works on Cobb’s arm with a bunch of stomps but Jay tags himself in to stomp away in the corner.

The Briscoes clothesline Cobb down but Williams tags himself in, much to Tracy’s annoyance. Jay does the same thing and it’s time for the big uppercuts. A slap to Haskins’ face counts as a tag and it’s Mark vs. Mark for the slugout. Cobb uses the distraction to run them over and it’s Maff coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and we take another break.

Back with Maff sending people to the floor for a big dive. Cobb’s spinning belly to back suplex into Maff’s backsplash gets two on Williams with Haskins making the save. Lifeblood double teams Maff for their own two but it just wakes him up to chop away at everyone. A kick to the leg sets up an ankle lock to Maff with Haskins stomping away at the same time.

The Froggy Bow breaks it up and it’s time for the parade of people hitting each other in the face. Redneck Boogie gets two on Williams but he’s back up with a Death Valley Driver to Mark Briscoe. The Crossface goes on until Jay powerbombs Haskins onto them for the save. The Jay Driller finishes Haskins at 12:34.

Rating: B-. This is where the company excels and they did it again here. These guys had a very fast paced and entertaining match which is all you can ask for out of something like this. Lifeblood having issues could be interesting and Cobb/Maff are the monsters that you need to have around here. The Briscoes are themselves and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back in the title picture again soon (mainly because they’re never out).

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good overall here with the action being the focus of the show, which is where the company shines more often than not. They really aren’t great with the storyline stuff around here and other than a few things in the back, there wasn’t a major story in the whole show. It’s what makes things better around here and that was the case here. Not a great show, but far better than some of the stuff they’ve done over the last year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Host: Ian Riccaboni

It’s the go home show for Final Battle and something tells me that isn’t going to matter all that much here. They’re far too late to make the show feel like the big deal that it’s supposed to be and I don’t think I’m being ridiculous to suggest that they likely don’t care much about this TV show anymore. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at PCO beating Marty Scurll to become #1 contender for Final Battle. This is one of only a handful of stories that has received any attention and we kind of get the concept already.

Video on Vincent vs. Matt Taven. Someone attacked their Kingdom teammate TK O’Ryan, with Marseglia eventually revealing himself as the villain. He turned on Taven and busted him open, setting up Final Battle. I believe this is the first time the Vinny Marseglia heel turn has been mentioned in any kind of detail on this show.

Video on Bully Ray vs. Mark Haskins, which is Ray bullying someone else in the exact same way he has ever since he turned heel in the first place. I would ask who thinks this is a good idea, but Ray as the booker tells you all you need to know.

We go to a live event where Haskins, with a table in the ring, calls out Ray. Cue Ray, but he won’t get in, as instead it’s Flip Gordon jumping Haskins from behind with a kendo stick. Ray pays Gordon off (because that feud is already forgotten) and puts Haskins through the table. Oh and he calls Haskins and his family trash, just to be extra nasty.

Dalton Castle finds Joe Hendry on a couch and they get into a discussion of being a big band. Castle gets confused and thinks they should be superheros. Uh, yeah.

Bateman vs. PJ Black

This is Bateman’s debut and Black isn’t on Final Battle. Black works on an armbar to start but gets reversed in a hurry. A forearm to the face puts Black in the corner but he comes right back out with his own shots to the face. Bateman gets knocked to the floor and hit with a slingshot dive as we take a break.

Back with Bateman faceplanting him and hitting a running kick to the face for two. Bateman sends him face first into the buckle as he certainly seems to have a target. Black hits a spinwheel kick but has to bail out of the Placebo Effect. The second attempt connects for two but Bateman slips out of what looked like a reverse DDT.

A headbutt sets up a Snow Plow for two on Black, who is right back with a kick to the face of his own. Black’s top rope hurricanrana into a moonsault gets two more, followed by a crucifix driver for the same. Black goes up but gets crotched, allowing Bateman to hit a Tombstone (This Is A Kill) for the pin at 10:52.

Rating: C. Bateman looked good here and it means someone to beat Black. The match wasn’t anything special but it was a good way to make Bateman look good in his debut. The company needs some fresh talent so maybe Bateman can mean something before he is signed somewhere else.

Joe Koff comes in to see Silas Young and Josh Woods. Josh has some interesting requests for his new contract, but they are all turned down. Koff leaves and Young talks about how they could be Tag Team Champions.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Danhausen

Taylor is defending and this is Danhausen’s (has a painted face, talks strangely) TV debut as well. The Soldiers of Savagery are here with Shane as well, just in case this was in any doubt. Hold on though as Shane needs to talk about how awesome it is to be from Ohio and to list off the stats of his title reign. Danhausen confuses Taylor to start so Shane throws him down without much trouble. For some reason Danhausen tries a chokeslam before going with a slap to the face.

Taylor gets low bridged to the floor so Danhausen shouts before kicking him in the face. There’s a superkick from the apron but Taylor powerbomb him onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Dak Draper watching from the stage. Taylor hits him hard in the face but Danhausen grabs a tornado DDT for two. A running kick to the head gets the same but Taylor blasts him in the face. The package piledriver sets up Greetings From 205 to retain at 6:36.

Rating: C-. Danhausen is someone entertaining enough but at the same time he just got dropped on his head for the pin. It feels like a gimmick that has been done before and that isn’t the best result for a first match. Still though, he has charisma and the fans reacted to him, which is more than some people can say.

In the back, Shane says he doesn’t know who the thirteenth challenger is going to be but they’re unlucky to face him.

Dragon Lee gets the TV Title shot at Final Battle.

Video on the Briscoes vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham, which has been covered in full on here more than once.

We run down Final Battle.

One more Rush vs. PCO video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: D+. I know it’s better than nothing but the build to this show has been so worthless and last minute that it was almost insulting. The exclusive matches were fine here but they felt like annoying detours that we had to get through before we could get back to the Final Battle hype. Final Battle still looks ok at best, mainly because PCO vs. Rush feels like a big house show main event. Could have been worse, but it’s just WAY too late to make a difference.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6